Frame for spectacles



April 21, 1942.

w. B. SCHQFIELD 2,280,666 FRAME FOR SPECTACLES Filed Feb. 6, 1941 I ATTORNEY.

iNv NTO T a I a BY 3' Patente d Apr. 21, 1942- UNETEE STATES PATENT QFFICE FRAME FORSPECTACLES William B. Schofield, New York, N. Y.

Application February 6, 1941, Serial No. 377,581

2 Claims.

This invention relates to spectacle frames and has for its particular objects the provision of a frame of that character which is of attractive appearance, extremely compact and is adapted to securely retain the frame on the face of the wearer with a minimum of pressure of the bridge thereof upon the nose and particularly without exerting any pressure upon the ears or the adjacent scalp of the wearer and without any possible derangement or disturbance of the hair of a carefully dressed coiffure of a woman during the positioning of the same on or removing the same from her head. Further objects of the invention are hereinafter set forth.

The spectacle frame which is universely used curvature, but the pressure of the bows behind the ears tends to irritate the skin and likewise all the principal weight of the glasses is supported by the nose which bears against the bridge of the frame. These bows, furthermore, are diffi- I cult to position behind the ears or to remove when once positioned without disturbing the individual hairs of the wearer and frequently when the hair has been arranged in an elaborate coiffure or wave such disarrangement is especially annoying and objectionable. Furthermore, these long bows require an elongated case to house the spectacles. My investigations have led to the discovery of a novel spectacle frame which is entirely free from the foregoing objections besides having other advantages all as fully set forth in the following specification and drawing forming a part thereof, in which latter Figure 1 is a perspective view, from above, of an eye-glass frame constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the bows or temples of the frame, isolated;

Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of the bow shown in Fig. 1, prior to folding the end thereof with a terminal, resilient clasp;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing th frame in position on the head of a wearer;

Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modification showing one of the two separate clasp elements which may be permanently secured to the bows of the frame;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the clasp shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is an elevation of a bow of the frame with the clasp element shown in Fig. 6 applied thereto.

Referring to the drawing and the construction shown therein, the reference numeral I designates the body of the frame, 2 the lenses mounted therein and'3 the usual hinges that serve to secure my improved abbreviated bows 4 to said body.

referably pliable, inelastic, reinforcing wires 5 are molded in said bows to assist in retainin the same in any position to which the bows have been adjusted when fitted to the head of the wearer. These bows d are of flattened cross-section beyond the point a and are folded on themselves to form. return-bend clasp members 6, each of which is formed into a hump midway of the ends of the clasp which thereby provides a, skinreceiving recess or depression 1. The ends 8 of the clasps are preferably flared slightly outwardly, i. e., towards the bow, to reduce the contact area of the clasps with the skin of the wearers face.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5-7, a block or cap element I2 of plastic material has a recess 13 formed thereon for the reception of the end of the bow which is adapted to be fitted thereinto and cemented thereto and a clasp element M, formed of metal or a suitable plastic, has its end is molded into said block I2, the said clasp element being likewise provided with a hump, having an indent it on its outer face and the free end i! being also flared similarly to the clasp shown in Figs. 1-4.

As is apparent from the aforesaid construction of my improved spectacle frame, the abbreviated bows thereof firmly engage, but without causing any discomfort, areas of the skin intermediate the temples and the ears of the wearer due to the slight puckering of the small portions of the skin which enters the recesses l of the bows. Furthermore, such positive engagement with the skin of the claws on the bows which are formed of resilient or elastic material, as plastic or spring metal, substantially relieves the pressure on the nose of the wearer which would otherwise be exerted, due to gravity, by the bridge of the ordinary lens mounting, thus eliminating disfiguring grooved imprints thereon. Again, since the arched or hooked ends, such as formed on the ordinary bows, are dispensed with in my improved construction, the repeated readjustment of the bows, especially the arched ends thereof, by the oculist or optician who originally fitted the same to the face of the wearer, is unnecessary.

It is, of course, to be understood that the lens mounting or body of the frame is provided with the usual stop elements or shoulders c such as the oblique terminal faces on the frame shown in Fig. l which are adapted to abut similar oblique faces on the co-operating ends of the bows 4, and which shoulders or stop .elements effectively resist the movement of the bows through a horizontal plane to any position beyond that shown in Fig. 1, namely, a position substantially normal to the plane of the frame. As a consequence, the bows, after same have been suitably adjusted by slightly bending the same in a horizontal plane to fit the head of the wearer on the skin areas intermediate his head and his ears, due to the resiliency of such bows and also of the clasps, if the latter are also resilient, will at all times insure the firm engagement of the bows with such skin areas, all in the manner above explained.

While I preferably employ resilient clasps that constitute integral return bends of the bows, each clasp having an intermediate hump element that affords an extremely effective skin-receiving indentation or recess, nevertheless such integral clasp members or the separately applied clip elements, such as shown in Figs. 5-7, may be relatively thick and rigid and provided with protuberances or indentations on the exposed face thereof and still will function to secure the frame to the head of the wearer, though to a somewhat lesser degree than would resilient clasps provided with the aforesaid humps.

My improved spectacle frame retains, without gradual changes occurring therein, the original adjustment or alinement thereof after having been properly fitted to the head of the wearer and thus the rims and lenses always remain in the correct position to insure correct focus of the lenses at all times. When desired, the frames can be instantly removed with one hand from the head and likewise easily re-applied in the proper position on the head and in addition to the convenience of such manipulation of the frames, there is the further advantage that the lenses will not become so frequently soiled, due to handling, as is the case with the ordinary type of frame where both hands are customarily required to properly position it on or to quickly remove the same from the face.

While I have illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it is of course, understood that various modifications and changes in the construction, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a spectacle frame, the combination comprising a lens mounting, having opposing bows hinged to opposite sides thereof, said bows being relatively short and each having an integral, resilient return-bend clasp member extending forwardly from the rearmost end thereof whose inner face has convex skin-engaging areas and a skin-receiving depression intermediate said areas.

2. In a spectacle frame, the combination comprising a lens mounting, bows hinged thereto at the respective ends thereof, said bows being of generally rounded cross-section throughout the greater portion of the length thereof and having return-bend portions of flattened cross-section adjacent their free ends which extend alongside of that portion of each bow that is of substantially circular cross-section and such returnbend portions being resilient and the inner faces thereof having convex skin-engaging areas and also having a skin-receiving depression intermediate said areas, the said bows being adapted to support the lens mounting in position on the head of a wearer by engagement of the said return-bend portions thereof with the skin intermediate the temples and the ears of the wearer.

WILLIAM B. SCHOFIELD. 

